Cheesy polenta burgers

Some days I need a healthy snack or a very light dinner, so I made burgers my way. They are light, cheesy and very delicious. At the same time they are filling, but not heavy. If you make several of those, you can eat them for dinner. Polenta is the perfect solution in this case.

Polenta is a cornmeal, used a lot in Northern Italian dishes. It’s extremely versatile in usage as you can boil it, grill the cooled polenta or use the flour in a cake. It’s very easy to work with and to fast to prepare. It’s good for those who have gluten allergy, since it’s naturally gluten-free. It contains vitamin C, A and E, although it’s not very rich on any of them. Polenta also contains smaller amount calories than pasta, so it’s considered a good carb.

You can use any “filling” you like for these burgers. Add your favorite cheese instead of the mozzarella. Or combine the mozzarella with sun-dried tomatoes. Either way, these polenta bites will fill you up and will be very tasty.

Ingredients

100 g polenta, uncooked

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

2 tbsp dill, minced

1/2 tsp garlic power

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

50 g mozzarella cheese

Preparation
Cook the polenta according to the directions on the package. You can buy fast cooking polenta that needs 10-15 min to cook. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper.

When the polenta is almost fully cooked add the parmesan cheese and the dill. Stir well until smooth. Taste the polenta and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Transfer the polenta to a small tray covered with kitchen foil. Make a layer with 1 cm thickness. Make sure that it’s smooth and even. Put in the fridge for an hour to set.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/430 degrees F.

Drain the mozzarella from the water. Cut thin slices and put them on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb the additional water.

Take the polenta from the fridge. Cut squares of 3×3 cm. You can choose a different shape if you prefer, just make sure that they are at least 4 and they are even. Make “burgers” from two slices polenta and a slice mozzarella in the middle. Transfer to an oven tray and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 min or until the cheese melts. Let the burgers cool a little bit. Enjoy!